Threat of mass Palestinian explusion

[Louis Proyect <lnp3@xxxxxxxxx>]

Threats of forced mass expulsion

by Amira Hass
Le Monde Diplomatique
February 19, 2003
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February 2003

THREATS OF ENFORCED MASS EXPULSION

Israel: a new Palestinian diaspora
_______________________________________________________

The repugnant idea of the 'transfer' of the Palestinians - meaning their
total expulsion - now appeals to many Israelis. The Israeli army and some
settlers are already organising 'mini-transfers' in the West Bank, and any
serious new threat to Israel (for example, missile attacks from Iraq at
war) could precipitate the brutally enforced expulsion of millions.

by AMIRA HASS
_______________________________________________________

A EUROPEAN diplomat spotted a road sign in Israel's Jordan Valley in
December, showing that the road had been renamed Gandhi, which was the
nickname of General Rehavam Zeevi, founder of the far-right Moledet
(Homeland) party. Zeevi, who had publicly called for Palestinians to be
"transferred" to Arab countries, was killed in 2001 by a gunman from the
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Was the sign an example of
cynicism or just a joke in bad taste? It stood just before the road cuts
east to the Allenby Bridge linking Israel and Jordan, indicating the way
Zeevi's "transferees" might have to take.

Just before his assassination, and soon after another Palestinian suicide
attack, Zeevi said in a radio broadcast that the only solution to Israel's
problems was the "approved transfer" of its Arab population. He clearly
felt he then had the necessary support to deliver this unambiguous message,
although he had been obliged to keep it secret for years.

The real problem is that Israelis do not view the suicide bombings as part
of the Palestinian struggle to end Israel's occupation, nor do they see
them as revenge for the aggressive tactics of the Israeli Defence Forces
(IDF). (According to the Palestinian Red Crescent, military action has
caused more than 2,000 Palestinian casualties, at least 1,500 of them
civilian.) Israelis see the attacks as proof that the Palestinians are
determined to destroy the state of Israel, and to kill Jews because they
are Jews. In this climate the expulsion of the Palestinians is touted as a
security measure, a humane response to an intractable problem. The Israeli
authorities are doing nothing to check the momentum of such plans.

Which populations will be "transferred" remains deliberately unclear:
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank? Those in the refugee
camps? Or all Palestinians between the Mediterranean and the Jordan river,
including Israel's Arab citizens?

Limor Lavnat, the Israeli education minister, legitimised the debate when
she ordered schools to observe the anniversary of Zeevi's death. Anti-Arab
slogans appeared across the country: "No Arabs, no attacks"; "Transfer
equals Peace"; "Palestine is Jordan". One poll found that 20% of Israeli
Jews would consider voting for the extreme-right Kach party if it were
legally permitted to field candidates. (Kach was founded by Rabbi Meir
Kahane in 1973: in the early 1980s it won one seat in parliament, getting
just 1.5% of the vote. Kahane was barred from standing for election in 1988
and the party was banned after the February 1994 massacre in Hebron.)

full: http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=22&ItemID=3077


Louis Proyect, Marxism mailing list: http://www.marxmail.org


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